On an 11-2 vote, the town council approved $1,042,000 in Community Preservation funds to fully renovate the exterior of the school administration building.

Barnstable Town Hall saw a similar renovation over the past year, with a re-pointing of all brick work, new slate roof and new windows. A similar program is planned for the school administration building, but it needn’t be as extensive. DPW Director Mark Ells said that the building was in better shape than town hall. The roof, for example, will see repairs to the slate, but does not require a full replacement.

Community Preservation Committee Chairman Lindsey Counsell said that one of the advantages of using CPA funds is that it allows for a proper restoration of the historic buildings. As an example, he said that the slate used to replace the town hall roof came from the same quarry as the tiles that were removed. Counsell said that while less expensive alternatives could have been found, they would not have been historically accurate.